Classical ballet is a highly stylised form of theatrical dance that draws on the traditional values of harmony, order and symmetry. Broadly speaking, the ballet we see on stage today can be traced to the Court of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Ballet in the UK today is dominated by the Royal Ballet, the full-sized classical company at the Royal Opera House, whose repertoire includes core classical works (The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, etc.), together with many ballets by 20th century choreographers, from the UK and overseas such as Sir Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. Other ballet companies include the Birmingham Royal Ballet, formed in 1991 from the former Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet; the more progressive English National Ballet; Scottish Ballet and the Leeds-based Northern Ballet Theatre, which specialises in full-length story ballets, from old favourites, such as Romeo and Juliet, to newly made ballets from popular literature, including Wuthering Heights and Dracula.

Sarah Frater